Product Description

Jackie Malone has been murdered. Her body lies in a pool of blood in the north London flat where she worked as a prostitute. Deep knife wounds have been gouged into her corpse and her hands and feet are tied with coat hanger wire. For Detective Inspector Jack Delaney this is no ordinary case. He was a friend of Jackie's and she left desperate messages on his answer phone just hours before she was killed. Despite no immediate leads and no obvious suspects, the fear in her voice tells him that this was not a random act of violence.Just as Delaney begins his investigation, a young girl is reported missing, feared abducted, and he is immediately tasked with finding her. Delaney knows he must act quickly if there is any chance of finding her alive, but he is also determined to track down Jackie's killer before the trail goes cold. However, his tough and uncompromising attitude has made him some powerful enemies on the force, and Delaney soon finds that this case may provide the perfect opportunity for them to dispose of him, once and for all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8848 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
"A cracking debut, matching gore with suspense. His TV scripting experience shows."
--The Bookseller, January 9, 2009

Review
Pearson scores a hit first time out with Jack Delaney, a hard drinking, Country and Western-loving, maverick that fans of John Rebus and Jack Regan will love

Review
A brand new series from a seasoned scriptwriter, featuring a no-nonsense London DI Jack Delaney **** (4 stars out of 5)

Customer Reviews

A gripping, first rate crime thriller
MARK PEARSON'S HARD EVIDENCE is hard boiled London Noir from a new writer in the genre - but one who looks set to stay. It's an impressive debut launching a really strong character. DI Jack Delaney, really puts the black into black Irish. Based out of a fictional White City police station Delaney is an unashamedly unreconstructed copper. The world he inhabits is more akin to a post modern Chandler's mean streets than the procedural beats of a Frost or Thorne. Delaney is a dangerously violent, functioning drunk, who's world view is seen through the bloodshot eyes of a man responsible for his wife's own murder. Darkly charismatic Delaney would seem to have no trouble finding a decent kind of woman to salve his troubled heart but he doesn't want saving - instead Delaney finds solace in the arms of prostitutes, the charms of Irish whiskey and the balm of a toot of cocaine. Delaney's London is a seriously screwed up place and if it needs someone as equally screwed up to police its dangerous streets then Jack Delaney seems more than qualified. This is a cracking first novel, the pace never flags, the dialogue is as sharp as a cut throat razor and the stories of a murdered prostitute and a missing girl come together seamlessly amidst the emotional train wreck of DI Delaney's life. Just like the other reviewers I am really looking to the next one in the series coming out this Summer - but the title seems to have been changed from Blood Line to Blood Work.

Excellent debut novel
Great to see a new writter in the genre. Mark pearson has created a character in D.I Delaney who would easily convert to the small screen. The book is a real page turner from the start and the murky uderlife of west London is well set against the turbulent world of Delaney. Prostitues and Irish whiskey there may be but this book is far from cliched and I look forward to the new release. I thoroughly enjoyed the tales of the rough talking D.I. Hopefully more to come.
Excellent, thoroughly recommened.

Hard Evidence
I purchased this book mostly because of the reviews on this page, and also because I have have grown tired of reading endless "American" crime fiction, where sometimes it feels as if I have read the same story over, and over, again.
And what a treat. As much as I adore Mark Billingham's London based Thorne novels, Mark Pearson has just knocked him off my number one, favourite crime writer(s), perch!
An absolute descriptive, gripping and fantastic read. Don't hesitate if you are uncertain about buying this debut novel from a new author, just do it!!!